An Analysis of Mass Effect 2’s Suicide Mission Theme

[@wallsnd]

Wow - what an honor that you put together such an amazing analysis of something I wrote so long ago while blindly hunting and pecking for the “right” notes in some sort of satisfying order! I’m so glad to finally understand what the hell I did! 😂 But seriously thank you. What a nice trip -

[@Pulsar-h7w]

I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite music theory channel on the Citadel.

[@roma540]

Hear, hear.

[@themothreborn]

love when the video was like "Hey everyone, Demon King Ganondorf here to explain Counterpoint and types of motion therein!"

[@JosephSmith-pp6bq]

8:49 Something just hit me when you mentioned mixing synthetic and orchestral sounds: if you take the orchestral sounds to represent organics, then this kind of parallels the synthetics vs. organics theme found throughout the series.

[@Oraoraoraorra]

Makes sense since the Collectors were fully organic Protheans but were twisted by Reaper tech, kinda like husks.

[@genius11433]

I knew that "epic" music always had brass, but I never knew why. It was mindblowing to realize that yeah, "epic" music borrows from the musical language of war: the drums beating the march, the soldiers singing their war chants, and the war horns belting out orders. It appeals to something primal in us. Thanks for clarifying what makes "epic" music feel so larger-than-life.

[@minor_2nd]

Not just that, brass is also easily the loudest section, its job simply is to add power.

[@doob.]

i mean the interstellar theme sounds epic without brass

[@GeneralBolas]

It's also important to recognize why brass and drums were used. They're *loud.* The point of musical instruments in warfare is to communicate to your army through the chaos. So they've got to be loud and deep.

[@tl880linux]

​@@doob.A pipe organ isn't far off; it's basically mechanically powered brass depending on the kind of pipe being used

[@AltaPisco]

Brass epicness is tight to Wagner

[@a18yearoldonyoutubeluigi]

Honestly watching these videos motivate me to write music.

[@lankythedanky]

opening musescore as I read this

[@lukasgraesslin]

it really is. everytime I'm kinda burned out again on writing music, videos like these reignite the passion.

[@mergays2008]

KZbin glitched out on me and completely muted the sound after the initial jingle and I sat there for a good 40 seconds watching completely silent shots of Marvel characters jumping around trying to figure out if KZbin was muting copyrighted sections like Twitch does now or if this was a bit and you were gonna pipe in at any second with “isn’t very epic without the music, huh?”. Great video once I got it working tho haha

[@myrealusername2193]

It does mute copyrighted sections by the way but pretty rarely

[@pokemonpasta]

I can't help but feel "I Am The Doctor" from Doctor Who is inspired by this piece. 7/8, similar progression and instrumentation, similar harmonic rhythm, hell they're both in Dm afaik

[@meest0]

I was saying the same! Glad someone else noticed

[@caseygecko]

damn u beat me to it they were both released in 2010 tho so i reckon it's just parallel creation of similar ideas?

[@pokemonpasta]

@@caseygecko o hi lol

[@caseygecko]

omg i fully didn't see ur username hii

[@pokemonpasta]

@@caseygecko :3

[@TuBachle1]

Quite the perfect upload for me rn. Just finishing up my very first Mass Effect playthrough

[@manu_elle_arg]

I love your combination of technical analysis and freeform emotion all in one package, great video

[@Kiaulen]

Big ❤ for mass effect. Best sci-fi video game of my college days

[@sparkledowner]

Just played the trilogy for the first time a month or so ago. It gave me a feeling I haven't had since I played the Halo trilogy as a kid. 10/10 game

[@Loki-]

This was so well explained even for laymen. It's the kind of lecture I would get in college. It makes sense, but if given a quiz right after, I would be utterly lost in the complexity.

[@flumphflumph6021]

This was my favourite 360 soundtrack. Thank You for talking about it.

[@Doug_Edwards99]

I’m getting ready to watch this, but when I think of epic music, I always think of the hugest sounds, such as large choirs, massive orchestras, enormous pipe organs, incredibly overdriven electric guitar, ect.

[@Doug_Edwards99]

Now that I’m done watching, the minor key, but with all major chords other than the tonic is spot on. I wanted to say that in my initial comment, but I couldn’t fully articulate the music theory jargon.

[@Brassydoots]

Love seeing mass effect music covered, super underrated soundtrack. Would love to see your analysis on some of the softer tunes in the series for some of the more emotional/mysterious parts of the games too!

[@chrisn676]

This is one of my favorite pieces of VGM of all time, and I just wanted to say thank you for analyzing it and potentially drawing some new listeners to it!

[@denischen8196]

There's this moment in Super Mario Galaxy 2 when you have 119 stars and the final mission is in Mario Squared Galaxy: Luigi's Purple Coin Chaos. In this incredibly difficult challenge, you hear one of the most epic pieces of music. It even has a section taken right out of Gusty Garden Galaxy.

[@michaelleue7594]

Can you do a three-video series about Parallel motion, Contrary motion, and Oblique motion, going over what each of them accomplishes in different contexts and how the vocabulary is used? I know it's a big project but it would contextualize a lot of things that would be really useful for writers.

[@GumshoeGamer]

I LOVE that you're talking about one of my fav music pieces from Mass Effect as a whole.

[@yeth_half]

YAY 8-BIT UPLOAD

[@donbagus7591]

How have I only now found this channel? Absolutely amazing work! Love Mass Effect's soundtrack and this video highlights perfectly why it is so great. I guess I have a new channel to binge watch!

[@Alexgudmusic]

I love how it starts with this unique 7/8 rhythm, then grabs your attention by changing to 3/4 in the next section. Taking away 1 8th note gives a whole new feel. I’ll definitely use multiple time signatures in the same song, in the future.

[@hawkins347]

I'm sure the 7/8 rhythm is also a little bit of a musical pun because Shepard is N7 😅

[@jon_of_the_shred]

Was just thinking of this channel the other day, great to see a new upload, especially one that highlights the masterpiece, Mass Effect 2

[@matiaspereyra9392]

Ahhhh, the suicide mission is so good, just listening to it produces some thin film of liquid over my eyes, haha, it just brings back the memories of my first time at it, very specifically when they bait you into believing the squadmate you sent to do x or y is about to die (or, if you sent the wrong person, they actually do die) because even though I didn't lose anyone in the end it was really tense not exactly knowing what where the conditions for character death, then literally every version of the plaform collapsing after the boss that i have seen, seeing Shepard fucking up that grab and then unfucking it was so bleak and then the final run that made think for a solid... 20/30 seconds? That everyone but tali, mordin and joker had died until people show up on the Normandy to get you and the other 2 to then doubt Shepard's chances of survival

[@DJZoonie]

I would love an analysis of the Warthog Run in Halo 3. That mission was peak amazing and the soundtrack is really what makes it so damn epic

[@weeaboooverlord7810]

I feel like part of this (especially the choirs, the oblique motion, and the usage of sus chords to have progression that doesn't rely on minor chords) could be applied to the EMIYA theme from Fate/Stay Night, albeit with a more synth-based vocabulary. Actually, I'd love a video on that track at some point, considering FSN is getting its first official translation some time this year, after 20 long years.

[@MrPersona94]

God I love the mass effect series, this song gives me goosebumps everytime

[@AaronTrimbleMusic]

I didn’t know about or had forgotten about oblique motion. Thank you!

[@AaronJSussman]

Awesome! You remain the best electric guitarist in the gaming-cover scene. Would love to see you live in concert again soon (saw the Shredventure in LA in 2021).

[@BADCEEDSstudio]

Your content is always excellent! Gotta love these deep dives into video game music theory

[@CardCaptor32584]

Holy cow! This was an amazing video. Thanks for such a clear analysis.

[@Gingrnut]

Watching your videos is wild to me because, I do not have any idea what you’re talking about. I don’t speak this language of notes & chord progressions and diatonic… but I do speak the language of video essays & analysis, & it’s wild to feel like you’re on the cusp of understanding. If this video was about the cinematography, or the writing, or the themes of ME2’s story, or even how the gameplay elements of the suicide mission work to reinforce its themes & hammer home the weight of the drama, I would understand that. As it is, watching this is like listening to a story when you only know half the words. The cadence & sound is familiar, but the meaning escapes you.

[@nkdizon]

Ah I’m so happy you’re covering this!

[@Gambledore35]

I cant stress out enough, how good your lessons are from a teachers Standpoint. You would make a hell of a music teacher! I need to suggest something: Have you ever played Terranigma for the SNES? The soundtrack is what developed my musical soul as a kid and you definetely need to check it out, if you havent already. There is a lot to discover, from leitmotifs to epic melodies over to transporting certain moods. Thanks for all of your valuable content and greetings from germany!

[@TheWeirdaholic]

I think, all three major Quintet Games are like that. Although I've only played Illusion of Gaia (Illusion of Time in Europe, somehow) and Terranigma, both are just amazing with what they do musically. Terranigma just takes the cake just by it's way stronger narrative, imo.

[@djsquarewave]

Awesome analysis! While watching, I couldn't help but think that late-'90s epic trance uses a lot of the same tricks to achieve a similar vibe in a different context -- major chords over a minor key, oblique motion, repetitious and pounding drums and bass lines paired with soaring melody lines -- tapping into the same primal emotion but to get you to dance rather than to fight. 'Suburban Train' by Tiesto and 'Airwave' by Rank 1 both came to mind almost immediately.

[@Yojimbo711]

You reminded me of this music, great video dude

[@henrique88t]

It's amazing how a 7/8 gives off a really proggy vibe. Felt like listening to Tool.

[@henrique88t]

By the way, I don't think it's really a coincidence the descending ostinato has this Dies Irae-y feel to it, given the moment and situation it plays.

[@subscreen6527]

2:00 the inclusion of a major IV chord in a minor key isn't just a common thing for this type of thing, I would argue it's THE most defining trait of "hero" music. Like, you can just vamp back and forth from the i to the IV and it will sound heroic or adventurous. The i-IV is THE sound of heroic destiny and adventure.

[@zacharywong483]

Fantastic video, as always!

[@jasperzanjani]

this is the analysis Suicide Mission deserved

[@Bemwidood]

This really helps me in understanding how to make epic music! Thank you so much! All your videos inspire me so much!

[@TerrinX]

I am the Doctor is the most Hero musicy you can get (aside from Halo Theme)

[@truesoprano2152]

I think the suicide mission might be my favorite moment in any video game ever, and the music is definitely a big part of that. Even though I can easily do it now without getting anyone killed, I'll never remember the first time playing with no guide and accidentally getting a few squadmates killed. This game is truly special to me and a lot of people. (I miss you Thane)

[@ThatRedHusky]

I would actually love to see a theory video on the many facets of lesser known music from Mega Man titles. It varies so much more than what people think of (Wily 1 from MM2). We're the Robots and Concrete Man from MM9, the SUPER uncomfortable feeling of Sigma stage 3 from MMX, the weirdly triumphant yet melancholy Wily 2 from MM3. They have SO much to offer.

[@Veylon]

The music was what sold me on getting MM9. I was shocked to see a retro nostalgia-bait title not just reference and imitate the beloved original but equal and sometimes surpass it on it's own terms.

[@talideon]

It does help that the underlying chord progression is basically Shepard's leitmotif through the first two games.

[@01Brekke]

I love this video! Mass effect's sound track is underrated imho. I'd love an analysis on why Vigil's theme from ME1 feels so much like breathing a breath of fresh air. Its my favorite of the entire franchise.

[@pericomposer]

Another technical aspect that gives the epicness feeling of a gigantic event going to happen is to have on the low register of strings and brass big open fifths and octaves that makes some sort of bed for the rest of the higher pitch harmony thrive :)

[@aarongoodman42]

This is great! I've been trying to figure out how to write epic music for a while!

[@ND62511]

I wonder how much of what we learned here can be applied to the Helldivers 2 music? That music certainly sounds EPIC, and given its subject matter it kind of has to be. Would love to see an analysis of it some day

[@josephdell6342]

Love the channel and your abilities to explain the theory to someone who knows nothing about it and why music feels the way it did. Would love to see your analysis of a Cup of Libertea from helldivers.

[@Canada407]

More Mass Effect. More, more, more!

[@Soccer14Fan]

The pandorica speech music (words win wars) is the best “epic music” without a doubt. Coupled that with the doctor’s speech makes all the more epic.

[@egoalter1276]

Suicide Mission *does* sound eerily similar to I Am The Doctor indeed.

[@kjak94]

I just started (yet another) playthrough of the ME trilogy, so this is a timely video. Always look forward to hearing this at the end of ME2, but it's bittersweet because then I'm almost done with ME2.

[@Hinyousha]

This piece is really similar to I am the Doctor from Doctor Who, which also shares the same epiqueness

[@alexmott507]

Haven't watched yet, but I'm guessing the answer is gonna be "Write minor stuff in Dorian and major stuff in Mixolydian" Time to watch and see if I'm right!

[@sageDieuvids]

Great video! Wanted to share a quick thought - I saw and skipped over this video with the/a previous title that more vaguely talked about 'epic' music because I'm just as tired of star wars and the MCU as the rest of us. It popped back up again with the new title that mentions ME2 suicide mission which I immediately recognized and thought "fuck yeah I want to see 8-bit's take on that track". I know it's part of the game to swap around titles and thumbnails and see what sticks - just thought it would be helpful to hear a bit of direct feedback on that! Great vid!

[@DLLpropagandavideos]

0:32 truly epic British girl

[@vincentrevil4911]

Great analysis, thank you. I want to play the Mass Effect series again now...and I've played these games like 20 times or more already (I'm a huge fan ^^)

[@meest0]

Doctor Who's theme "I Am The Doctor" about 10 seconds in has some identical elements to the section at 04:17 (about 50 seconds into Suicide Mission theme). The chord progression, rhythm, and oblique motion all sound the same. The strings especially. Any others that sound just like this?

[@Gold---Mole]

Great video, Mass Effect games are awesome!!!

[@alinkbetweengames4328]

3:44 We're on secondary dominants in my theory class right now, so when I saw that I had a wojack pointing moment.

[@baggiopiano]

Thought you would talk about Helldivers 2, the helldiving and extraction themes always gives me goosebumps

[@neon4706]

One could say that the Minor key with Major chords is like a musical Eucatastrophe.

[@ClicStudio]

YEAH SOMETHING ON MASS EFFECT I LOVE THAT

[@casssieboy]

Ayyyy I love this channel

[@RobbekenSynthMusic]

Thanks for helping music theory make sense for me!

[@TheBrawlingBrothers]

I’d love for you to do a video about heroic music but ones that have a theme to it. Like Helldivers or Overwatch. They have that one bit of music that just lets you know it’s that game no matter where you hear it. Like what makes a good “theme song” for a game!

[@circuitgamer7759]

This is the kind of music I want to be able to write the most :) So far I've been writing music that's partway to this epic sound, but on the darker/slower side, and I'm still far from the full sound I'm hoping for. My main limit at the moment is the percussion, because I never know what instruments to use or how to use them for rhythm. If I add percussion to a song, it's usually pretty simple and utilitarian, with just some kind of bass or kick drum, a snare, and either a hihat cymbal or a crash cymbal (I don't think I've ever used more than one kind of cymbal in a full song, just in experiments). I usually compose in either Musescore 4 or an online midi sequencer, which is somewhat limiting, especially because I don't know anything about mixing. I do have one project I'm working on at the moment that feels like the closest I've gotten so far, but still isn't as good as I'm hoping for. I'll get there eventually...

[@NZsaltz]

Depending on what you want to make, I would really recommend at least learning how to use a "DAW" in addition to a composition program so you can learn mixing, effects, and synthesizer sound design, which are all very useful skills. You can just try looking at other songs in similar genres to yours for percussion; especially if you can get access to sheet music. In the modern day, these composers might be thinking less about individual instruments that might be played by a human and more about samples from services like Splice or particular orchestral libraries, with plenty of processing or overlapping rhythms.

[@GabrielRodrigues-gb5dt]

Nice

[@Odima16]

Good April Fool's joke, very subtle

[@noncrediblecase341]

This video made me want to replay the entire Mass Effect trilogy.

[@KirkWaiblinger]

Mass effect has OP soundtrack

[@Mrsp8472]

The Mass Effect Trilogy remains my favorite video game series. And who can forget A Scientist Salarian?

[@pieterfaes6263]

I always found the Nier:Automata soundtrack to have an epic soundtrack. It has numerous tracks following these rules rather closely, particularly towards the end of the _third_ playthrough. (for example 'Bipolar Nightmare', 'Tower', 'Sound of the End'). However, when it comes to the bombastic grand tracks in that game, most of the time it goes for different sentiments than 'Heroic', whilst keeping the other two elements (gravitas and scale) there (You really start noticing the oblique patterns if you look for them). Instead it chooses different sentiments; The very first mission track 'Alien Manifestation' has a weird enigmatic vibe; often, though, melancholy/dread colours the composition. Not to mention the game eagerly evoking mood whiplash by directly contrasting the epic it with a near-morose track right after. It really amplifies the existential trip the story puts you through. What I'm wondering is if the lack of 'Heroic progression' is just due to the kind of game it is, or if cultural differences mean that other countries have different ways of describing a 'Heroic progression'.

[@lvlupproductions2480]

As is tradition the internet must point out all typos and so I must say "parallel" is mistyped at 5:59 as "paralell" To be clear this doesn't actually matter and if you actually get upset at this kinda thing it's really unfair to certain people such as dyslexics. edit: was just checking other time-code spots but it was perfect so no edit.

[@Tb0n3]

Is it just me or does this remind anybody else of tubular bells?

[@davidmfr3y]

ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL

[@JustAnotherAlchemist]

Nice! This couldn't have come at a better time. I just got the steam version of ME:LE working without the garbage EA app. Subbed! Unrelated: Can't wait until Heaven Burns Red gets an English translation, so you can break down the music in that. Some of the all around best music I have heard in a while. It's downright uncanny how well the music fits (sets?) the mood of the game.

[@RowanB6]

To your last point, as someone who lived through the cultural transition, I think our aversion true epicness in media, and earnest emotions in media in general, likely started at a reaction to the 90s/early 00s very earnest, in-your-face media trends. Always glad to see those of us who are pushing back against such unnecessary cultural aversions.

[@keith_root]

Well dang, now I gotta go play Mass Effect again

[@geoduck23]

0:29 HELLO KITTY ROLLER RESCUE MENTIONED RAAAAHHHHHHHH 🗣️🗣️

[@YingwuUsagiri]

It's interesting to me though that no matter how good the songs were in the trilogy. Especially in 2 and 3, for me, in terms of enjoyment and wanting to relisten to them. None of the songs come close to both the ending themes of 2 and 3. Faunts smashed both songs out of the park. M4 Part 2 and Das Malefitz are the best of the series and the video clip to M4 Part 2 is wild and deserves a watch just to wonder... Why...

[@WMfin]

Well analyzed and you picked a very good example! "Epic" music is my pet peeve these days as there seems to be just too much of it. Some companies do nothing else than produce "epic trailer music" on a conveyor belt and it usually sounds just so cheap and I can't stand hearing it. But when done well it can be so good! Early Assassin's Creed games had good combat music too. Some games had good combat music but maybe misused the tracks or there were too few of them and player gets easily bored with them playing all of the time (watching at you TES and Gothic games)

[@egoalter1276]

Well made, memorable 'epic' music is some of the best ever created. The 4th movement of Dvožak's New World symphony, Carmina Burana, the 1812 Overture, the Pharaoh's March from Aida, Ride of the Valkyries, it is some of the absolute peaks of the musical artform.

[@HarmoneaSinn]

May I suggest/request you take a look at Regina's theme from FF7 Rebirth? It's absolutely fascinating from a music theory perspective. It has some sections where it changes modes frequently in a really chaotic way, and even in the sections of "rest" where it sticks to G major for a while, it orders chords in a way that feels almost uncomfortably dysfunctional. I would love to hear your take on it.

[@grahamgilmore42]

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!

[@7thangelad586]

The main theme of Jurassic Park is epic.

[@SilverZephyr09]

Yep, that's a good title change.

[@wvmcc82]

Did you ever consider doing RimWorld's OST? That soundtrack is great

[@Kejucore]

Man I would love to see an analysi of the Nier replicant shadowlord theme, a absolute banguer and I think it fits really well with the latest videos analysis.

[@peperoni_pepino]

I wonder to what degree this also describes He's a Pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean. Being a movie song, it certainly has a sense of scale. It is also in D minor, I think, it has many major chords, but it doesn't meet the 'gravitas' requirement -- the baseline tends to move with or opposite to the leading tune. Maybe you should analyse some Two Steps From Hell music and check if your three conditions match that; if they don't, then the conditions have to be tweaked a bit. EDIT: Actually, another thought. The Imperial March also feels epic, although it is clearly a different style. Do you think the Epic style has it's origins in the March style? That would make sense considering the given instruments, and the March style often has a significant scale and sufficient gravitas.

[@FalconFetus8]

3:22 Wait, I thought the rule was that you need to have all-major chords in a D-minor key. But here, there's very clearly a minor chord at the start of it. What gives? I'm fact, wouldn't the sus chords _also_ break that rule, since they're not major?

[@mrcljx]

edit: totally missed the Bb 🤦 I was wondering whether this might be D Dorian instead of “D minor with restrictions”. I’m not too familiar with modes and so I have no idea when and why one would decide a piece to be in a different mode.

[@masonasaro2118]

may i suggest an episode on avgn adventures/1+2 deluxe and how it’s soundtrack pays tribute to other games? (i.e. thy farts consumed sounding like journey to silius with it’s sunsoft bass, future f**kballs 2010 to mega man, assholevania to, castlevania 3 with the vrc6, and laughing joking numbnuts having all the nes sound expansions at once.) if there was one track in particular to cover i’d say thy farts consumed.

[@NewMateo]

quesiton - are you transcriptions available in midi on the patreon?

[@maxpowr90]

I know the slant, but um...Eroica; et al...yeah...

[@DATskorge]

The fact that suicide mission is the first song he goes into detail with!!!

[@SuperAsefasef]

Had to be him. No one else would have gotten it right.

[@samb7677]

8:08 erm does anyone else hear a very close similarity to Dr who?

[@pedrocatoira2695]

Is that why the song See you again by Tyler the creator in the Billos version is epic?

[@teejay9610]

Should analyze Sheppard's despair song from ME3.